Several music download sites have created an “MP3 100% compatible” logo to emphasise the freedom and benefits of music in the non-DRM’ed MP3 format:

According to the BBC:

The Entertainment Retailers Association devised the logo, which emphasises the fact that MP3 files can be played on any digital player.

HMV, Woolworths, 7digital, Digitalstores, Tescodigital, Tunetribe, and Play.com have all signed up to the scheme, which will show consumers that the MP3 download will play on PCs, Macs, and portable music players.

According to October figures from the Official UK Charts Company, single track downloads were up 41% and album downloads increased 69% from the previous year. 7digital’s Ben Drury said that online sales “have been booming” because users “love the freedom of MP3”.

It looks like consumers are wising up to the dangers of DRM and the benefits of formats that don’t lock you in to a single provider. As freedom-hating Disney executive Peter Lee said “If consumers even know there’s a DRM, what it is, and how it works, we’ve already failed.” Well, Lee, you’re a failure. Now fuck off and die, scumbag, preferably of some nasty disease like cancer or AIDS.